episode_0037

The sound of water falling to the floor rang in the bathroom at dawn, when it was normally unused.

Number 25 was standing under the water dripping from the shower.

It would have been nice if the hurt in my heart had been washed away by the pouring water.

There was no way that internal injuries inflicted by a person could be healed so easily.

Number 25 was lost in thought as he absentmindedly felt the hot water pouring down from above.

Did he make such a big mistake?

It felt like the feeling of being assaulted by the maid still lingered in my body.

Number 25 bit his lips tightly and began scratching so hard that red lines were drawn on his body.

It felt like if he didn’t do something like this, that unpleasant feeling would stick to his body and follow him around like a stigma for the rest of his life.

Hilda asked worriedly as she heard scratching sounds coming from No. 25’s body.

“Are you okay?”

Hilda followed No. 25 into the bathroom out of fear that he might make a wrong choice due to the aftermath of the sexual harassment.

Her eyes were always focused on the wall in case No. 25 felt uncomfortable, but since she couldn’t block her hearing, the sounds of No. 25 muttering and scratching something irritated her ears.

In response to Hilda’s question, No. 25 stopped scratching his body, but answered softly in a still trembling voice.

“… It’s okay.”

Even the informal language used only with Hilda had already returned to being polite.

“Sorry, I wish I had come a little sooner… .”

If I had come right away when I first heard a strange noise in the bathroom, I wouldn’t have been treated so badly. Hilda chewed her fingernails out of guilt.

Number 25 turned the valve to turn off the water in the shower and answered quietly.

“It’s not Hilda’s fault. I did something strange… .”

No. 25 was overcome with emotion as he remembered the terrible thing that had just happened, so he stopped crying while speaking.

Far surpassing the physical pain was the mental pain. Number 25, who endured a lot of pain inflicted on his body, did not easily go away from the shock of being forcibly violated by women.

Just before being consumed by sadness, No. 25, who barely managed to hold back his tears, wrapped a towel around his waist and gently placed his hand on Hilda’s shoulder.

“Let’s go now.”

Number 25 headed to the locker room and put on his pajamas again. Hilda asked the back of No. 25, which felt smaller than usual.

“Are you going to sleep now? Shall I go to your room with you?”

Number 25 stopped walking and appeared to think for a moment. Eventually, No. 25 turned around and faced Hilda, as if he had something to say.

No. 25’s eyelids facing Hilda’s face were swollen.

Looking at his expression that looked like she was about to shed tears at any moment, Hilda felt pain as if a black-edged dagger had been stabbed into her chest. I hated myself for not being able to comfort my first friend.

No. 25 rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, wiping away the tears that were about to fall, and forced a bright expression.

“Could you please stay with me for a moment?”

I didn’t want to be left in a dark room alone with this feeling. I was afraid that a terrible monster living in the dark would devour me. Hilda willingly nodded to No. 25’s request.

“Then, shall we take a walk outside?”

The two did not exchange a single word as they headed toward the yard. It was the exact opposite of how we spent the morning engaging in trivial conversation.

As soon as I opened the door to the first floor, the night air that hit me was colder than usual.

But even the night air was no different from the warmth of a spring day compared to the frozen heart of No. 25.

It may seem obvious, but there wasn’t a single shadow of a person in the yard. The two walked along the path shining white in the moonlight.

Number 25 would sometimes stand blankly and look at the flowers in the flower bed.

It was a strange feeling to see the flowers blooming brilliantly, showing off their own colors, fixed in one place just like me.

Hilda asked, pointing to a bench near the fountain.

“Shall I sit here?

“Yes.”

Hilda sat down on the bench and handed Number 25 next to her the warm water bottle she had brought with her when she came out.

“Now, drink this and calm down.”

Number 25 took the water bottle Hilda gave him with slightly trembling hands and quenched his parched throat.

Hilda, who could not fully understand the context, asked No. 25.

“What on earth happened? Oh, you don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.”

Hilda thought that her question might bring up memories she wanted to forget, so she regretted saying it even for a moment.

Number 25 seemed to be okay and told Hilda everything that had happened during the night.

Hilda, who heard everything from No. 25’s mouth, had a troubled expression on her face. I thought there must have been a reason why No. 25 was sexually harassed, but it was because he was caught masturbating using underwear. It was so different from what I thought that I couldn’t get my head around it.

But No. 25 had a serious expression.

What kind of consolation should I give? I couldn’t figure it out at all. I was able to realize a little that ignorance is a sin. For now, Hilda threw away any words.

“Uh, um… . Of course, even men can masturbate, right? It makes no sense to threaten something like that.”

“But they said I was strange and that I was telling other people… ?”

“That’s because you showed yourself weak from the beginning. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

If you say there was nothing wrong with it, that wasn’t the case. Masturbating in public was already wrong.

But what Hilda does now is comfort. It wasn’t about whether he was right or wrong. It was better not to say anything that could come across as negative to No. 25.

“Besides, being subjected to something like that means you’re that attractive… .”

I offered comfort whenever I could, but even as I was speaking, I realized that this was absolutely not something I could say to the victim. Hilda interrupted mid-sentence and wiped her face.

“Ugh, what am I saying.”

Number 25 interrupted mid-sentence and tilted his head to see Hilda lost in thought.

I have never had such a long conversation with a man before. Of course, I didn’t know how to make the man feel better. I thought that this vague consolation had the potential to be poisonous.

No. 25 resumed the conversation, which was briefly interrupted as Hilda was lost in thought.

“Still, I feel a little better after talking with Hilda.”

Hilda raised her head and looked at number 25. It’s okay, as if those words weren’t just empty words. No. 25’s expression brightened just a little, but it definitely brightened. Hilda felt relieved when she saw that.

“Really? That’s a good thing.”

But one important thing remains. Hilda cleared her throat and carefully asked No. 25. Since this is a story about the perpetrators, I had no choice but to tell the story more cautiously than usual.

“I freed those guys on my own, is that okay? I told you not to come again, but we might run into each other again. If you want, you can go to the Demon King right now… .”

Number 25 interrupted Hilda. As if he didn’t want to hear it anymore.

“It’s okay. I don’t want to worry the Demon King, and I don’t want to think about those people anymore.”

Only then did I realize that I had brought up the topic too hastily. No. 25 is not okay, he is just pretending to be okay. Without properly understanding the true intentions, they talk about the perpetrator in their own way.

It’s the worst.

Now that things were like this, words of comfort had their limits. The only way to comfort someone was through alcohol. For the first time in her life, Hilda gathered all the knowledge she had in her head for someone else.

One answer finally came to mind.

“Stay here for a moment. It only takes 3 minutes.”

After finishing speaking, Hilda left No. 25 alone and started walking around the yard to collect things. In response to an inexplicable action, No. 25 leaned on the bench and looked blankly at Hilda.

Hilda returned in the three minutes she said, a little earlier.

What Hilda was holding in her hand was a bouquet of colorful flowers. Hilda gave No. 25 a bouquet of flowers and smiled shyly. I’ve never given flowers to anyone before, but I never thought I’d do it this way today.

Number 25 held the bouquet in his arms and asked in confusion.

“This?”

“I saw earlier that you seemed to like flowers… Wasn’t it by any chance?”

There is no man who doesn’t like flowers. Number 25 narrowed his eyes as he accepted the bouquet of flowers Hilda gave him.

I thought it was an ephemeral being, just like myself, subjugated somewhere, but it turns out that it could come to me in this way.

Whatever the method, the flower regained its freedom from the flower bed that bound it.

That bouquet became my hope that one day I would be able to regain the freedom that I had never had before.

Number 25 buried his face in the bouquet and took a deep breath.

A soft, elegant, and rich floral scent spread to the tip of my nose.

“I like it, thank you.”

Drunk on a moonlit night? Because you like the scent of flowers? Because your bright smile is so beautiful? Or is it because I heard you like it?

I couldn’t figure it out.

When Hilda saw the smile of the opposite sex blooming between flowers bathed in bright moonlight, and No. 25’s sincere smile, she felt an emotion she had never felt before.

Just friends, nothing more, nothing less. It was the first time I saw someone of the opposite sex who I thought was just a friend with whom I could have normal conversations, drink, and be close friends.

My heart was beating faster than ever before, and I couldn’t make eye contact.

Even Hilda, who had no experience with men, could sense what this feeling meant.

They say that love comes unexpectedly and without warning, but I never imagined that I would fall for someone I had just met.

But I know. I know it all too well. This feeling was not something that could be rewarded by effort. No. 25’s words of like will never be directed at him.

The seats next to him were already occupied by women who were more attractive than him.

Even though they are the same woman, she chooses the rugged self over the alluring Aser and Charlotte? It was difficult to even imagine such a thing.

Moreover, if you hastily confess your immature feelings that have not yet matured, you will no longer be able to remain friends. I didn’t want to regret being separated from No. 25 due to my blind judgment.

However, I didn’t do anything and I didn’t want to regret seeing No. 25 completely taken over by someone else.

However, one must know when to fold. Okay, let’s put these feelings aside for a moment. I didn’t want to hurt No. 25 any more. I couldn’t hurt someone who was hurt as a person, or as a person.

That’s what I thought, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

It’s okay to call me selfish.

Above all, she was intoxicated by the bright moonlit night and starlight, so it was harder to control her impulses than usual.

In my hazy mind, No. 25’s face felt closer and closer, and soon my vision went dark.

His lips were sweeter than any flower petal.